


Forgive and Forget

by nerdybumblebee



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Bullying, Genderfluid Octavius, High School AU, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, K-Rah and the Boyz, Modern AU, Multi, Transphobia, bisexual jed, first NATM fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:17:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdybumblebee/pseuds/nerdybumblebee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavius was bullied horribly as a child. At home and at school. His one silver lining were his foster parents who gave him a new life. A chance to start over. It was all wonderful, until that blond punk came back into his life. And he doesn't even have the decency to remember Octavius.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all. Bee here! So this is my first fic, and will mostly be centered around Octavius. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS:
> 
> Homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, child abuse, mental illnesses (PTSD and depression, mostly), abandonment, and bullying. The list may grow with later chapters, so be wary I guess.
> 
> Other than that, enjoy.

Octavius' fists balled up, running his tongue over his split lip as he tried not to cry. He whimpered slightly, sitting in the principal's office with his foster parents. "This is the fifth time we're having the conversation," Julian said indignantly. "We need to do what's best for Tavi. I'm sorry, but we're pulling him out of this school."

"Mr. Caesar, please. Let's just-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fredricks. Octavius' well being is in jeopardy here. We have a meeting at PS 62 on Thursday."

"I.. I understand."

Octavius walked out with the Caesars, walking past the blond boy who glared at him as he left. How could one nine-year-old have so much hatred in him? The Italian boy sighed as he clamored into the back of the red station wagon. New family, new house... new school.


	2. The Official Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo fam big trigger warning for panic attacks.

Octavius groaned, reaching blindly for the alarm clock that all but screamed at him. He looked dazedly, letting out a frustrated noise as he forced himself to sit up. How was it already 7:15 in the morning? He sighed, sitting there for another six minutes before finally getting up onto his feet. The Italian went to the closet, pulling out black jeans and his favorite grey argyle cardigan and a maroon tshirt. He loved autumn in New York. Just the right temperature to be comfortable in his more favorable clothes but still with enough chill to keep him awake.

He hurried down the stairs, grabbing a plain, bright red ball cap off the hook by the door, before freezing at the door. "Hey, man," a deep, British accent let out. "Where do you think you're going in such a rush?" Julian and Nia Caesar, who had since finalized their adoption of the Italian in question, stood in the kitchen. Julian held the pan in his hand higher to make a point. "Breakfast."

"Oh," the Italian said simply, dropping his gold colored messenger bag by the door. "Right. Sorry, I got excited." Octavius sat, the dark skinned man pushing eggs onto a plate in front of him and pouring him a glass of cranberry juice. "Musical auditions are today. McPhee finally agreed to let us do Rent." Octavius smiled wide as he ate quickly. "I wanted to get to school early. Ahk said he'd play piano for me, and I've been working on 'I'll Cover You.'"

Julian and Nia looked at each other, the woman rubbing the table cloth involuntarily between her fingers. The silence was getting thick before Julian finally cleared his throat. "You sure that's the song you wanna sing?"

Octavius froze, looking up. His smile faltered. "Well, yeah," he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. "It's um, the best for Angel. That's kind of who I was trying out for."

Nia grabbed his hand, offering a small smile. "I know, baby," she assured. "And I'm sure you'd be wonderful. But, all we're saying is.. well.."

"I'm not trying to come out," he said, sounding almost tired. "If that's what you're worried about. I get it. Go through school. Graduate. Wait until college to come out." He sighed, looking at the last glob of egg on his plate. "I think I'm full." He kissed Nia's cheek before scraping the remaining food into the garbage disposal and leaving his plate in the sink. "Thanks, Julian."

"Tavi," Nia said, standing and going to him, taking his hands in hers. "Baby, we know it's hard. We know you just want to be yourself. And at home, that's fine. But the rest of the world isn't as nice as we are." She rested a hand on his cheek and offered a smile. "We just want you to be safe."

He nodded, resting his hand on top of hers. "I know," he said, eyes on the ground. "You're right. Everyone knowing I'm gay is enough for now. The trans stuff can wait." He stepped away, going to the door again. "I guess I'll go for Roger or.. something." He waved shyly before leaving the house.

Once the door closed, Nia just let out a crestfallen breath, shaking her head. "You were no help during any of that."

"I handle the food, you handle the emotional stuff."

***

Octavius had found "genderfluid" at the end of his freshman year. He looked the word for nearly ten minutes, his chest overflowing. This feeling he had always had, of feeling like there was something wrong with him. It was.. okay. He rushed to show Nia and Julian, tears in his eyes and shaky hands. They held him, and they still loved him. He couldn't believe it. He smiled sadly at the memory, gripping the strap of his bag tighter. He finally stopped in front of Ahk's house, waving at the Egyptian.

Ahkmenrah Mubarak had lived all over. Egypt, Morocco, Beijing, England, LA, Manitoba; he was certainly well traveled. He smiled brightly at Octavius, sitting lazily on the hood of his gold Camry. The Egyptian came over, pulling Octavius into a one armed hug. "There's my star," he commented, taking Octavius' hat and plopping it down onto his own head. "Come on, we gotta get there early if we're gonna get the good practice room."

Octavius took his hat back, getting into the passenger seat of the car. His own was currently unusable, do to some drunken idiot barreling out of the bowling alley at 50 in a 25 zone. But so was life, he supposed. "I, uh, I don't think I'm gonna do 'I'll Cover You' after all," he said quietly, looking out the window. "Maybe I'll just sing 'One Song' or something."

Ahkmenrah looked at him, sighing as he got into his own seat. "You know, it doesn't say anywhere in the show that Angel is trans," he said, backing out of the driveway. He looked over his shoulder, spinning the wheel. "All the audience will see is a gay guy playing a drag queen." Ahk was the only friend Octavius had confided in about being genderfluid. So he would often find the Egyptian giving him advice. "You gotta do you, you know? You gotta just say 'fuck it,' and let them know you don't care whether or not they're uncomfortable with it."

Octavius shrugged, trying to lean his head against the window, only to have the bill of his cap bonk against the window. He gently reached up to press against the fresh sore spot. "Ow.."

"Dork."

***

Octavius, in the end, did work on "I'll Cover You." He didn't mind singing both parts, he just did it in a higher voice. It was actually rather nice. Ahk smiled wide at him, fingers flying across the piano. They went through the song a few times before heading to their first class. It was slow going. For Octavius, at least. He hated math, yet Ahkmenrah was living for it. The Egyptian held up the A+ test he had gotten back, beaming. Octavius shrugged, smiling a bit at his own B-. 

The next class didn't go any faster. Especially since Ahk wasn't there. Due to the events that unfolded before Julian and Nia came into his life, Octavius had always been behind in reading. So while Ahk went to AP Language, Octavius sat in academic English, flipping disinterestedly through Of Mice and Men. He wasn't awful at reading, he supposed. He was about average. But still, he felt as though he was struggling. But he soon found something else to focus on when the door opened, and blond boy with shaggy hair coming into the room. He handed the teacher a piece of paper.

Octavius gaped, staring at him. He remembered that day when he was nine, when his face has been pushed down against the slide. He felt his whole body tense up as the blond went to sit in the empty seat behind him. The Italian only caught a few words of what his teacher had said. 

"New student."  
"Texas."  
"Jedediah Smith."

That name was the thing that sent Octavius over the edge. He stood abruptly, chair scraping the linoleum titles loudly as he went to grab the bathroom pass that hung by the door. And then he left. He struggled to pull his phone out of his pocket with shaky hands, texting Ahk as he made his way to the single person bathroom by the staircase. 

'SOS. Panic attack.'

He made it into the bathroom, legs soon failing him as he fell to the toilet, sitting on it and holding his head between his legs. He struggled to breathe, gasping for air in between broken sobs. He felt like he was gonna throw up. Ahk soon came barreling in, pulling his own inhaler out of his bag and holding Octavius' head up as he helped him take a few puffs from it. His breathing improved some, but he still felt sick. And he still cried. Ahk went to the far corner of the room, sitting patiently on the floor and waiting for the Italian's attack to pass. That was all he could do in these situations. Helping him with the inhaler was fine, because Octavius' hands would shake too much to do it himself, but after that he needed space.

Fifteen minutes passed before Octavius finally collapsed against the wall, wails quieting and tremors easing up. "Are you ready to go back," Ahk asked. Octavius shook his head. "Few more minutes?" The Italian nodded and Ahk nodded back. "Okay. I'll take you back when you're ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so, just keep in mind. I don't have access to a computer and I'm doing this on my iPod. I'm sorry if it's short, I can't really tell how long it actually is.


	3. Blonds

When Octavius finally went back to class, his hat was on his desk with a note attached. 

'You ran off so fast, your cap fell off. Didn't want you to lose it. =)  
\- Jed'

Octavius read the note and looked back at the blond behind him. He waved a bit with a small smile, but Octavius crumpled the note and glared at him before putting the hat on and sitting down. Jed's smile fell and he sat silently, looking back down at his book. The rest of the class went by far too slowly. Octavius felt like everyone was staring at him. Like they all knew he had been crying. Were his eyes red? Was he still breathing odd? 'Calm down, Octavius,' he thought. 'You're fine. No one is looking at you.' It was easier said than done. Calming down. He felt like a wreck. His only saving grace was that lunch was next, and then drama class. He just looked at the clock as it ticked ever so slowly, second by and just droning at this point.

When the bell finally rang, Octavius wasted no time. He bolted, making his way through the already forming sea of students. It took a few minutes to make it upstairs to the cafeteria, but when he did, he had no trouble finding his table. He smiled at it, the group shining almost like a beacon for him to flock to. And most of the time, he did. 

The thing about John Dewey High School was that every student was required to take a fine arts course to graduate, and so it had been decided when Octavius was a freshman that he would take drama. And along with him were also Sacajawea, Larry, Amelia, and Teddy. Well, and Ahk. But Ahk was also in band and choir, so he was just kind of everywhere. And Teddy and Wea were more technical, with Wea as the active stage manager and Teddy in charge of sound and lighting. Octavius smiled at his friends, waving as he approached them. "Heh, hey guys," he said, pulling a Red Bull out of his bag. "What's up?"

"You know, that shit's terrible for you."

"Shut up, Larry. You went four days on three hours of sleep." 

Larry bit back his retort before just quietly dipping a fry into his ranch with a sour expression. Amelia patted his back with a warm smile before turning to Octavius. "Speaking of terrible shit," she began, leaning in with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I heard there's some new hottie in school. He's really the bee's knees, from what I've gathered." 

Octavius' nose crinkled in disgust as he thought back to his previous class. He really wasn't ready to have this conversation, but he would at least test the waters. "Let me guess," he murmured. "Long blond hair and stubble? And I bet he's got blue eyes too?"

"Yeah, how'd you know," she asked, leaning in closer as her grin widened. "Why, have you met him? Is he a dream?"

"He's a nightmare," Octavius said, rolling his eyes. "Why if he ever dared try to speak to me, I'd-"

"Sh. Sh! Look, there he is!"

Octavius groaned, following Amelia's pointing finger. Why was she so excited over- oh. Oh. That was not Jedediah Smith. Octavius' eyes widened a bit as a tall blond with what looked to be the softest hair and eyes as bright as the summer sky approached. The Italian blushed, swallowing a lump in his throat as the stranger came up to their table, pointing at the empty chair between Teddy and Octavius. "Hello, all," he said, smiling brightly at the group. "This seat taken?" Octavius shook his head and the other sat, smiling at him. "Hello. The name's Lance. I just transferred here from Lancaster."

"You don't say," Larry said, smiling. "Say, do you know Hannah Pryce? She was a friend of mine who used to go to the same temple as me. She moved to Lancaster two years ago, and we kind of lost t-"

"Lancaster's a big place, Larry," Octavius interrupted quickly. He leaned on his elbows, looking up at the center of attention. "I'm sure Lance knows a lot of people. Isn't that right?"

Lance grinned, leaning in slightly. "A few. Maybe I could tell you about it sometime."

Amelia looked next to her, exchanging looks with Sacajawea. The two grinned at each other before Sacajawea stood, tapping her boyfriend's shoulder. "Teddy and I have gotta go," she said. "Mr. Brewer wants us to coordinate the stage lights. Again." 

Lance looked up, raising a brow and smiled. "That right," he asked, taking his attention away from  
Octavius. The Italian pouted. "What's the project? I still need to choose between orchestra and drama."

"You should take drama," Octavius quickly interjected. "We all take it, and it's great, right?" He got a few nods before continuing. "It's Rent. It'd be a shame for you to miss it."

"What instrument do you play?" Octavius glared at Larry before he shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I do suppose Rent is quite a project," Lance agreed, looking back to Octavius. "Well then. I suppose I'll fill out the paper work and sign on."

"That's great," Octavius said, perking up. "That's actually the class Ahk and I have next. We can show you the Black Box, and even the theatre! Oh, you'll love it. It's phenomenal."

"I bet it is. It feels like everything at this school is," the blond replied. "The theatre, the classes.. the people." Lance grinned with a raised brow and Octavius just blushed, feeling flustered. He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck and giving a sheepish grin. 

Larry tried not to laugh and lightly tapped Ahk's shoulder, the Egyptian looking at him, and then Amelia. Amelia looked back and stood, picking up her tray. "Well," she said, nodding at the two shameless romantics. "I do believe Brewer requested our attendance. He needs bodies on stage to help Wea and Teddy with the lights. Boys?" The two, on the edge of laughter, nodded and stood. The three of them left, the ginger waving at her blushing friend and winking. 

Octavius cleared his throat, continuing to drink his Red Bull. "Well, um, you gotta get to the office and fill out those papers," he said, looking down. "I better go help them with the lights." 

He stood before Lance reached out, grabbing his wrist. "Wait," he said, digging a pen out of his bag and scrawling his number on Octavius' forearm in neat handwriting. "Will I hear from you again?"

Octavius blinked, grinning wide. "Uh, yeah," he said, heart pounding. "Yeah! Absolutely! Oh, and my name is Octsvius. By the way. Um, well, goodbye." He waved, looking back as he left before tugging his sleeve down over the number and rushing to go tell Ahkmenrah. 

"Octavius," Lance mumbled to himself, watching the Italian leave. "Extraordinary."

 

Octavius soon made his way to the theatre, soon quickly running up to Ahk. He pulled his sleeve up, showing him the pristine penmanship with a wide smile. "He gave me his number," the Italian said excitedly, practically gushing over the blond. "Ahk, he is so handsome, I can't believe it."

Ahk laughed, shoving Octavius into the Black Box. "You can dedicate your audition to him," he chided, the group leaving their things in the dark colored room before heading into theatre. "He's gonna have to go if he takes drama."

The lot of them stood on the Xs laid out in various places on the stage as Sacajawea and Teddy worked up in the booth, going through the list of light cues. The whole process took maybe five minutes, the bell for class ringing in the midst of it. Mr. Brewer came in in the middle of it, going to the booth to talk to his techs. Once that was done, he called them all down to the front row to take role. It was everyone's least favorite part of the class, even though the class was small. "Sacajawea... Present as always. George?" Silence and a hearty sigh from the teacher. "Late. Again. Larry; I see you under your big jacket. Amelia, Octavius, Ahkmenrah. All front and center. I'd expect nothing less. Teddy, ever punctual." The students wouldn't mind role so much, if Mr. Brewer hadn't always have some patronizing remark regarding their attendance. It was laborious.

He was about to speak again when the doors flew open with a small crash and Custer came flying in on a pair of Heelies, making Amelia laugh as tried to stop short and ended up tripping, flinging himself into her, Ahk, and Octavius. He was laid across their laps, looking up at the teacher with a wide smile. "Am I late?"

Brewer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, George," he said. "You are. For the fifth time this month."

"That ain't so bad. And call me Custer."

"It's the ninth, and your name is George."

Sacajawea cleared her throat and the two looked at her. She pointed to the main door, where there stood the blond from Octavius' English class. The Italian looked and he felt himself tense up again. Looking at the other made him feel sick, it made him feel helpless. A bead of sweat ran down his temple and he took off his cap, sticking it in his bag to try and alleviate the moisture. Ahk looked at him, grabbing his shoulder and looking at Jed as he tried to comfort his friend. The blond handed Brewer a piece of paper, just as he had Dr. Weiss in English. He tried to sit on the end of the row, but Mr. Brewer grabbed his sleeve and kept him at the front. 

"Ah, yes," he said, reading the paper. "Jedediah Smith. Class, this is our newest student. He is from Alice Acres, Texas."

"Well, actually," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm from Bainbridge, New York. Well, born there. But the earliest I can actually remember is Brooklyn. But, um, Dad got a job in Alice Acres when I was ten, and then here we are. Seven years later, and back in Brooklyn." 

He stood awkwardly, everyone staring at him. Octavius especially. Jed recognized him from earlier and nodded. He got no reaction but narrowed eyes. Again, he was made to feel dejected by this curt brunet. He soon took a seat and Mr. Brewer wasted no time jumping into a long lecture about the history of clowns. 

 

After the class was winding down, Mr. Brewer giving the others the last fifteen minutes off as he went to discuss lighting with Teddy and Wea, Custer and Amelia went to go play in the costume room while Larry and Ahk went to do inventory of the props. Jed pulled out his iPod, listening to music through his earbuds as he pulled out a copy of Flowers for Algernon. 

Octavius was fuming. This horrible bastard had the gall to re-enter his life. To write him a note with a smiley face, and to sit in his theatre and read. Octavius stormed over to him, leaning in and glaring at his face. This was the first time in eight years he had seen it. Jedediah's nose had been broken. A few times. And his once neat hair had grown out to shoulder length. If Octavius had to guess, it was maybe two inches shorter than Lance's. But he didn't care; he had business to attend to. "Why are you here?"

Jed looked up, slowly marking his book and removing the earbuds. "Hello," he said simply, looking up at the Italian. "Uh, well, I had to take a fine arts class."

"That's not what I meant, idiot," he seethed. "Jedediah, you did enough to me when we were nine. Why couldn't you have gone to Bay Ridge Prep? Or Midwood?"

"Um, well, I live two minutes away," he said, looking right up at Octavius. Then his brows furrowed. "And what do you mean, 'when we were nine'? Who are you?"

Octavius froze. He was insulted. And it was clear on Jed's face, he truly didn't know. "I," he began, face heating up and ears turning red. "You.. I'm Octavius Gaius. From PS 47!" 

Jed looked at his, eyes straining as he tried to recollect any memory of the brunet. "I.. I'm sorry," he finally said, sympathy clear in his eyes. "Look, I know I did a lot of bad things to a lot of good people. And if you were one of them, I apologize. Truly."

Octavius blinked, wanting so badly to be angry at the blond. To scream or hit him, or just to knock the paperback out his hands. He just stood up straight, huffing an aggravated breath at him and turning to leave. He went to get his things out of the Black Box and then he stormed off to go to his locker. At least that's how he would justify it. Honestly, he just needed to walk and try to clear his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've spent a lot of time thinking about characterizations, and anxiety just didn't feel quite right for Octavius. The more I thought about it, his panic isn't linked to socializing, and he doesn't have GAD. So I retconned. He has PTSD instead. So if you want to stop reading because of that, that's fine. Be safe guys. And also, I figured out the grades I want for these guys.
> 
> Freshman - Amelia and Custer
> 
> Sophomore - Rebecca and Attila
> 
> Junior - Octavius, Jed, Ahk, Erica, Sacajawea, and Lance
> 
> Senior - Teddy, Ivan, Al, Napoleon, Don, and Larry
> 
> Post High School - Kahmunrah


End file.
